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Sitaphal ice cream
Custard apple ice cream
सीताफळ आईस्क्रीम: Mumbai's natural ice cream of hand-seeded custard apple, milk and cream, scented and creamy (plus 8 hours freezing)
Every October, when custard apples pile up in the markets of Pune and Mumbai, the queues lengthen at the city's natural ice-cream parlours on Juhu and Malabar Hill for one flavour: sitaphal. The fruit tastes of pear, vanilla and cream, and when the pulp is folded into a simple milk-and-cream base, nothing else is needed. The ice cream is pale, soft and full of tiny tender pieces of fruit. It is the dessert of Navratri and Diwali visits in Maharashtra. A common mistake is blending the pulp with the seeds in; cracked seeds make the ice cream bitter, and they are toxic. Seed the segments by hand or rub the pulp through a coarse sieve. Chef's tip: never cook the pulp; heat turns custard apple bitter, so add it only to the fully cooled base.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the base
- 1 cup full-fat milk
- 2 ⅞ oz sugar
- 2 tbsp milk powder
- 1 cup double cream or heavy creamchilled
For the fruit
- 4 ripe custard apples (sitaphal)to give about 250 g seeded pulp
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What you'll need
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Warm 1 cup full-fat milk with 2 ⅞ oz sugar and 2 tbsp milk powder over low heat, stirring for 3–4 minutes until the sugar has dissolved; do not boil. Cool completely, then chill.
10 minStep 2: Break open 4 ripe custard apples (sitaphal), scoop the creamy segments into a bowl and pick out every seed with your fingers, or rub the pulp through a coarse sieve. Discard skins and seeds.
20 minStep 3: Whip 1 cup double cream or heavy cream in a large chilled bowl to soft peaks, so it holds a gentle shape but is still glossy.
4 minStep 4: Fold the cold milk and the custard-apple pulp into the cream until just combined.
2 minStep 5: Churn in an ice-cream machine, or pour into a shallow lidded tub and freeze, stirring well with a fork every 45 minutes three times to break up ice crystals.
5 minStep 6: Freeze for at least 8 hours in total. Let it soften for 5 minutes before scooping.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sitaphal ice cream take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of full-fat milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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